Be An Expert - Back To Basics - Focus On Photos

This week for 'Back To Basics' were looking at photography. Do your photos show your products in the best possible way?

READ THIS: A great book to read if you feel like you need an in-depth refresh of your photos is this 'The Crafter's Guide To Taking Great Photos' book by Heidi Adnum: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crafters-Guide-Taking-Great-Photos/dp/1844487512 with A LOT of tips on background, props, lighting, and more. 

LIGHTING ISSUES: If your main issue is light, you could try making a DIY lightbox: http://www.wikihow.com/Create-an-Inexpensive-Photography-Lightbox If your products are too big to fit in a lightbox then consider asking a friend with big windows whether you can take some photos there (you might need to tape white tissue paper to the windows to diffuse the light). 

FIX THE SHARPNESS: If your photos need to be sharper, try these tips from the Etsy Seller Handbook: https://www.etsy.com/uk/seller-handbook/article/6-steps-to-creating-sharper-product/23125317730

LIFESTYLE SHOTS: Do you take 'lifestyle' photos as well as plain ones? Lifestyle photos means you show how the item might be used, or place some props around it to give it a sense of scale or to invoke an emotion. For example if you make jewellery you don't HAVE to show it on a model (though this could be good) but you could show it draped across a jewellery dish - a modern neon stripe dish with bright white lighting if your jewellery is for the young fashionista, or a vintage saucer dish with warm lighting if your jewellery is for the more mature or softer-styled lady.

Here's 2 good posts with tips on lifestyle photography: https://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-create-compelling-lifestyle-product-photographs--cms-23076 and http://www.hollybooth.com/blog/how-to-style-your-product-photos

5 LISTING PHOTOS: Finally - do you use all 5 photo spaces whenever you can? Here's some Etsy ideas on 4 different photos to use: https://www.etsy.com/uk/seller-handbook/article/4-essential-product-shots-for-your-etsy/22504064051 and the 5th photo could be a photo of your product packaging if that's something special!

Free photography webinar exclusively for Etsy team members

Photo Credit: Lyndsey James, Photocraft 

Do you need to brush up on your photography skills for your shop photography?

Lyndsey James the founder of http://www.photocraft.org is offering an exclusive FREE photography webinar for Etsy team members.

Lyndsey helped Etsy write the Etsy School Photography programme, and has written for the Etsy blog and appeared at various Etsy events.

When?

Monday 11th May at 7pm

The webinar will run for 45mins - 1hr approximately

Where?

Online, the webinar will be broadcast on Lyndsey's website. Please follow this link to sign up http://www.photocraft.org/etsywebinar/ you will then be sent a special link before the webinar and will be able to tune in just before 7pm.

We hope to see lots of Dorset Team members there.